Outband construction for caps



Sept. 13, 1955 H. R. PORTIS 2,717,394

' OUTBAND CONSTRUCTION FOR CAPS Filed April 16, 1953 AZ INVENTOR 19 V/PY 1 E Hum/5 United States Patent OUTBAND CONSTRUCTIGN FOR CAPS Henry R. Portis, Chicago, 111., assignor .to Poi-(is S tyle Industries, Inc., Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Ilhnors Application April '1-6, 1953, Serial No. 349,123

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-1-12 The invention relates to improvements in caps andparticularly to improvements .in the outband-or earmuff construction of a cap. a

The invention constitutes an improvement over the structure shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 320,895, filed November 17., 1952, in that novel means is disclosed in the present structure .to prevent tearing out of means embodied in the-constructionof the outband to hold .the outband snugly against the sides of the cap when the outband is turned up and to hold the .outband and ear muffs in snug clamping position over the neck .and ears of the wearer when the outband is turned down. In the construction disclosed in my aforementioned application, there is a tendency for the reinforcing or stiffening means to tear through the material of the outband. In the present disclosure a novell-y-constructed sleeve or pocket is provided to enclose the stiffening means and thereby render such tearing out .most unlikely.

It is, therefore, an .object of the invention .to provide :a cap with a novel outband and ear muff construction.

Another object is to provide novel means to retain a stiffening element within a fabric sleeve OIzPOCkCI in the outband. I

Another object is to provide a novel stiffening assembly for the outband of a cap.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure maybe made without departing from the spirit oi'sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawmgs:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cap embodying features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the back of the cap shown in Fig. 1, but illustrating the outband turned down.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of a sleeve or pocket embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the cap illustrated includes a crown 11 having an outband, generally 2,717,394 Patented Sept. 13, 1955 indicated at 12, secured vto a part of the lower edge of said-crown. The-construction of the crown and the manner by which the toutband is secured to the lower edge thereof is -'of conventional construction and, consequently, is not illustrated in detail. The outband 12extends from one side of the crown across the back thereof and terminates at the-opposite side thereof. As illustrated, the outband may be folded upwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. l, or "downwardly into the position illustrated .in Fig. 2. In the latter instance, the outband overlies the nape of the neck of the wearer and .covers the ears.

It is preferred, although not essential, that the outband 12 'be of minimum width in the area extending across the back of the cap and that it increases considerably :in width as it approaches. the sides thereof so as to define relatively large end portions 13 of sufiicient size to coinpletel-y overlie the ears of the wearer. It is preferred also that the end portions of the outband include a fibercovering which preferably is Wool but may be composed of any material useful to insure warmth to the wearer.

One of the serious objections to the use of caps having outbands of the character described above, is the fact that the-end portions 13 -fail to hug the contour of the crown of the cap when the outband is folded upwardly. It has .also been observed 'that conventional types of caps lack means'to hold the-outband 1.2 and its ear muff portions 13 snugly againstthe neck and ears respectively, of the wearer when turnedjdown. These objections have, for the most part, been overcome by the construction described and claimed in my co-pending application aforesaid by providing means in the form of wirestrands within the .outband to hold said outband in the desired positions. Such means has however, been found not to be entirely satisfactory in use owing primarily to the likelihood :of the stiffening means piercing or penetrating either one or the other of the layers of the material constituting .the outband-12. This undesirable characteristic is overcome by the construction disclosed and claimed in this application. a I

In .the form of the outband illustrated, :said outband is composed of twojthicknesses of material 14 and 15. The section .of material v 15 may be fabricated from a single piece of suitable fabric usually of a kind corresponding to the fabric from which the crown is made. The other section. .of the outband may be fabricated from two pieces 14a and-14b, although it should be obviousthat the .section .14 may flee-fabricated likewise from a single piece of stock. In the event that the outband section 14 is fabricated from two pieces 14a and 14b, as illustrated, said pieces are joined together at complemental ends in a seam 16 and, during fabrication of the outband, the complemental longitudinal free edges, generally indicated at 17, of the two sections of material 14 and 15 are sewn together with the seam disposed inwardly in a manner customary to the industry.

Referring now to the disclosure as best illustrated in Fig. 2, each half of the outband is provided with stiffening means embodying the present invention. As shown, the stiffening means terminates short of the seam 16 to thereby minimize the overall thickness of the outband in the area of the center seam and further, to facilitate the utilization of stiffening means of a predetermined length in caps of different sizes. In other words, a larger size cap will have a greater gap between the opposite ends of the stiffening means, as illustrated in Fig. 2, whereas said gap will be reduced in caps of smaller sizes.

Referring particularly to the disclosure in Figs. 3 to S inclusive, which illustrates one of the reinforcing elements, each of said elements includes a sleeve 18 formed from a piece of fabric folded to provide at least three layers, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The folded piece of fabric is then provided with two rows of stitches 19 co-extensive with its length to provide a channel or pocket 21, defined on one side by two thicknesses of material and on its other side by one thickness of material, to receive a reinforcing elernent 22. The reinforcing element 22 may be fashioned from a length of Wire stock or it may be formed from suitable plastic material or even pressboard having sufficient rigidity to be shape-retaining. It might be noted also that although a round piece of stock 22 is illustrated said stock may be in a form of a ribbon or otherwise shaped. The shape-retaining member 22 is arched longitudinally to assume substantially the normal contour of the outband 12 for a purpose to be more fully explained hereinafter.

The stitched strip or sleeve 18, having the shape-retaining reinforcing member 22 therein, has its end portions 23 folded over substantially in the manner illustrated so as to prevent displacement of the reinforcing member 22. Upon referring to Fig. 5, it will be observed that the ends of the sleeve 18 are folded in such manner as to carry the two thicknesses of the material forming one side of the sleeve 18 around each end of the reinforcing member 22 and into overlapping relation with the single thickness forming the other side. Obviously the resistance to piercing is greatly increased by the folding of the sleeve ends in the manner described.

As so constructed, the sleeve 18 having the reinforcing member 22 therein is then secured preferably by means of rows of stitches 24 to the inside face and adjacent the edge 17 of either one of the layers of material 14 or 15 constituting the outband 12. The rows of stitches 24 are substantially co-extensive with the length of the sleeve and thereby also secure the folded over sleeve ends. When thus secured permanently between the layers of material 14 and 15 of the outband, the reinforcing member and its enveloping sleeve 18 is completely concealed from view. Owing to the permanent curvature of the reinforcing members 22, the outband will snugly conform to the shape of the head of the wearer when it is in the turned down position as illustrated in Fig. 2. When it is folded upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 1 the outband and the ear muff portions 13 will snugly embrace the crown 11. Owing to the provision of the reinforcing members as two separate and distinct elements, one on either side of the central back of the outband 12, there is no resistance to the folding of said outband either upwardly or downwardly.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cap assembly including an outband having inner and outer layers of material joined along complemental free edges, sleeves arranged end to end between said layers adjacent to the free edge of the outband, said sleeves being mutually spaced apart to define a gap at the back center of the outband, each sleeve comprising three layers of material, a shape-retaining member in each sleeve between an outside layer of material and the intermediate layer of material, said sleeves being greater in length than the shape-retaining member therein so that the ends of said sleeves may be folded over, said folding being in a direction to carry the end portions of the two layers of material on one side of the shape-retaining member around the ends of said member into overlapping relation with the material on the other side of said member, and rows of stitches securing the folded over ends and securing the sleeves to one of the layers of outband material.

2. In a cap assembly including an outband having at least two thicknesses of material joined along complemental free edges and extending from one side of the crown of the cap across the back to the other side of the crown, a shape-retaining member for said outband, said member consisting of a pair of lengths of stiif material, one length being located on each side of the back center of the outband and both arranged between the material thicknesses thereof, and sleeves secured to at least one thickness of the outband material adjacent the aforesaid joined edges each enclosing a length of said stiff material,

said sleeves comprising at'least three thicknesses of material two of which are located on one side of the shape-retaining member contained therein and each having its ends folded in such manner that the end portions of said two thicknesses of the sleeve material overlie the ends of the shape-retaining member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 243,947 Neufeld July 5, 1881 365,061 Friedman June'2l, 1887 397,401 Theiler Feb. 5, 1889 694,160 Kops Feb. 25, 1902 FOREIGN PATENTS 343,103 France July 26, 1904 

